Newcastle Falcons prop Taione Vea forced to retire

Newcastle Falcons prop Taione Vea has been forced to retire from rugby as a result of the spinal injury he suffered in the Premiership opener against Sale Sharks on September 2.

“I took a bad knock in the game against Sale and spent a few nights in hospital, and when I had my scan results unfortunately things didn’t come back too well," said Vea.

“...I was left paralysed for five or six minutes on the field, where I couldn’t feel my whole body. That is enough for anybody in a lifetime, and the risk of that happening again if I was to return to playing is quite high. It is obviously not the way I wanted to go.

"At the age I am and the way I felt I was playing, I was planning on a fair few more years. But having spoken to medical professionals and specialists I have had to just accept the fact there is more to life than playing the game I love.”

Taking his time before deciding on his next move, Vea said: “I have been a rugby player pretty much all the way through. I have had jobs here and there. I worked in a sports retail store, I have done bits of fitness instructing and coaching, but right now I am not too sure exactly what I’ll do. In a way it’s a fresh start."

The 27-year-old made 22 competitive appearances for the club after joining from London Welsh in the summer of 2015, and has been capped six times by Tonga.